Students at Thomasville Primary jump rope to raise money for others

Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 4:28 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, March 19, 2014 at 4:28 p.m.

THOMASVILLE | Students at Thomasville Primary School have truly shown how big their little hearts are.

Through the school's physical education class students raised more than $1,200 to donate to the American Heart Association as part of a program called Jump Rope for Heart.

Every year the school promotes the jump rope activity and fundraiser during the month of February. When students come to P.E. once a week they partake in a variety of jumping rope exercises. Students also had the opportunity to jump rope during their recess times.

The overall program promotes physical education and provides children with knowledge of heart disease and stroke while raising funds for cardiovascular disease research, stroke research and health education.

"I think it's great that we've raised money to give to the American Heart Association," said third-grader Bryson McMullen. "We should definitely do it more than once a year. I liked it because I'm a good jumper."

Bryson, who raised $267, had heart problems when he was born and underwent a couple of surgeries.

"I don't want anybody else to go through (heart problems)," he said. "This makes me feel great. I just don't want them to go through what I went through."

First-grader Ryan Byrd said he learned it's better to keep your heart pumping to stay alive. He collected $230 by asking his family and friends of the family for money.

"I thought it was a good thing to help other people save lives," he said. "It's going to people that have heart surgery. It's good to help other people. It was fun."

In P.E. class, students also talked about the importance of having a healthy heart and keeping their hearts active with exercises such as jumping rope, said Toni Tricarico, the school's physical education specialist. She was impressed by the response from the students. Since Thomasville Primary is in the Title 1 program, she set a goal of $300 because many families have a low socioeconomic status. She encouraged the students to bring in spare change.

Last year the students raised a little over $300 for the program. The school has more than 800 kindergartners through third-graders. Students received incentives for raising individual amounts such as T-shirts, a plastic trophy duck, a walkie-talkie, a jump rope, a playground ball and headphones.

"They went above and beyond," Tricarico said. "I was blown away with the support they had. I am definitely more than proud. I'm very pleased with how it all turned out."

Kamiyah Wilson, a second-grader, worked with her class to raise nearly $200. She enjoyed jumping rope, however she loved raising money for people who need help.

"It makes me happy," she said. "It was a good exercise as well because (jumping rope) makes your heart pump, and you're using your legs and arms. It makes you stronger and healthy."

Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com. Follow Deneesha on Twitter: @LexDispatchDE

<p>THOMASVILLE | Students at Thomasville Primary School have truly shown how big their little hearts are.</p><p>Through the school's physical education class students raised more than $1,200 to donate to the American Heart Association as part of a program called Jump Rope for Heart. </p><p>Every year the school promotes the jump rope activity and fundraiser during the month of February. When students come to P.E. once a week they partake in a variety of jumping rope exercises. Students also had the opportunity to jump rope during their recess times. </p><p>The overall program promotes physical education and provides children with knowledge of heart disease and stroke while raising funds for cardiovascular disease research, stroke research and health education.</p><p>"I think it's great that we've raised money to give to the American Heart Association," said third-grader Bryson McMullen. "We should definitely do it more than once a year. I liked it because I'm a good jumper."</p><p>Bryson, who raised $267, had heart problems when he was born and underwent a couple of surgeries. </p><p>"I don't want anybody else to go through (heart problems)," he said. "This makes me feel great. I just don't want them to go through what I went through."</p><p>First-grader Ryan Byrd said he learned it's better to keep your heart pumping to stay alive. He collected $230 by asking his family and friends of the family for money.</p><p>"I thought it was a good thing to help other people save lives," he said. "It's going to people that have heart surgery. It's good to help other people. It was fun."</p><p>In P.E. class, students also talked about the importance of having a healthy heart and keeping their hearts active with exercises such as jumping rope, said Toni Tricarico, the school's physical education specialist. She was impressed by the response from the students. Since Thomasville Primary is in the Title 1 program, she set a goal of $300 because many families have a low socioeconomic status. She encouraged the students to bring in spare change. </p><p>Last year the students raised a little over $300 for the program. The school has more than 800 kindergartners through third-graders. Students received incentives for raising individual amounts such as T-shirts, a plastic trophy duck, a walkie-talkie, a jump rope, a playground ball and headphones.</p><p>"They went above and beyond," Tricarico said. "I was blown away with the support they had. I am definitely more than proud. I'm very pleased with how it all turned out."</p><p>Kamiyah Wilson, a second-grader, worked with her class to raise nearly $200. She enjoyed jumping rope, however she loved raising money for people who need help.</p><p>"It makes me happy," she said. "It was a good exercise as well because (jumping rope) makes your heart pump, and you're using your legs and arms. It makes you stronger and healthy."</p><p>Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com. Follow Deneesha on Twitter: @LexDispatchDE</p>